Horror Before “The Horror Film”

Abstract

This chapter explores some of the antecedents of what eventually became known as the classical Hollywood horror film. Conventional wisdom and most histories of the genre mark its start with the release of Dracula in 1931. That film's success and the subsequent reiteration of its formula over the next several years within the Hollywood studio system–especially at Universal Studios–established generic criteria that have affected horror filmmaking across the decades and around the globe. The chapter surveys the roots of the classical Hollywood horror film from within preceding texts of Western horror, from various nations as well as various genres. Horror has been inspired by nightmares and “real life” atrocities, and fueled by creative imaginations and the influence of mind-altering drugs. Focusing primarily on literary and cinematic precursors, the chapter explores some of the various ways Western horror was figured before the development of “The Horror Film”.

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